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Superman, Lex Luthor Are Film's Main Hero/Villain: Gunn Tackles Rumors

Superman writer/director James Gunn made it clear who the film's main hero & villain are and that much of the "news" out there is just noise.

Well, we almost made it one whole day without a bunch of rumors rumbling out there to the point where they caught the attention of Superman writer/director James Gunn. Ever since the film was announced, the rumor mill has been working overtime with every possible scenario it can think of – with a whole lot of "unnamed sources" having things to share (sometimes before a script was even finished). We're not sure if the latest rumor that has Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor creating a clone of David Corenswet's Superman, resulting in Ultraman being the film's main "big bad" was the catalyst for his recent post or not, but Gunn returned to Threads to make it clear who the main hero & villain are – and why you shouldn't trust anything that isn't coming from him.

"The primary protagonist of Superman is, shockingly, Superman. The main villain of Superman is, shockingly, Lex Luthor. I don't know where all the stuff is coming from that it's something other than this. There are so many stories coming out every day it's difficult to deal with and everytime I strike something down I'm giving it attention," Gunn wrote. "So, I'll say again, don't believe anything unless you see it HERE (& why would you want to know everything before the movie comes out anyway?) "

Superman: A Look Back at The Journey So Far…

"Overjoyed to be announcing the start of principal photography on SUPERMAN today, February 29, which just so happens to be – coincidentally and unplanned – Superman's birthday," Gunn wrote as the caption to his post presenting the famous "S" on his Superman's costume, before confirming the change in the film's title. "When I finished the first draft of the script, I called the film Superman: Legacy. By the time I locked the final draft, it was clear the title was SUPERMAN. Making our way to you July 2025."

Here's a look back at a screencap of Gunn's Threads post sharing a group shot of the cast (and with Nicholas Hoult definitely in Lex Luthor mode) from the table read:

"After the table read with the #Superman cast. Eve, Mr. Terrific, Superman/Clark, Otis, Lex, producer Peter Safran, Jimmy, Metamorpho, Lois, Hawkgirl, me, Guy, The Engineer all together for the first time! What a wonderful day." Gunn wrote as the caption to his Instagram post showing off the team:

The Announcement…

Here's a look back at Gunn's tweet from March 2023 making the announcement that he would be writing and directing Superman: Legacy, followed by the full, heartfelt text of the message he shared while confirming what's been rumbling around social media since the previous week:

"Yes, I'm directing Superman: Legacy to be released on July 11, 2025. My brother Matt told me when he saw the release date he started to cry. I asked him why. He said, 'Dude, it's Dad's birthday.' I hadn't realized," Gunn wrote in the opening to his series of tweets announcing the news. "I lost my Dad almost three years ago. He was my best friend. He didn't understand me as a kid, but he supported my love of comics and my love of film, and I wouldn't be making this movie now without him. It has been a long road to this point. I was offered Superman years ago – I initially said no because I didn't have a way in that felt unique and fun and emotional that gave Superman the dignity he deserved. Then a bit less than a year ago, I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman's heritage – how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes."

DC Studios' Superman stars David Corenswet (Hollywood) as Superman/Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Lois Lane. In addition, the Superman: Legacy cast includes Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Nicholas Hoult (The Great) as Lex Luthor, Wendell Pierce (HBO's The Wire) as Perry White,  Isabela Merced (Sicario: Day of the Soldado) as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class) as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion (The Rookie) as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Metamorpho, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/The Engineer, and Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord. Composer John Murphy (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Kick-Ass, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3) has been tapped to score the film.

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